The advent of computers, electronic communication, and other advances in the digital realm of consumer electronics has resulted in a great variety of enhanced programming, recording, and viewing options for users who view media content such as television programs. In implementing such enhanced options, media content processing subsystems (MCPSs) such as set top boxes have become important computing devices for accessing media content services and the media content within those services. In addition to supporting traditional analog broadcast video functionality, MCPSs also support an increasing number of digital services such as video-on-demand, internet protocol television (“IPTV”), and personal video recording.
A MCPS is typically connected to a media content provider, and includes hardware and/or software necessary to provide enhanced options for a subscriber television system at a subscriber location. A MCPS is usually configured to provide users with a large number and variety of media content choices. For example, a user may choose to view a variety of broadcast television programs, pay-per-view services, video-on-demand programming, Internet services, and audio programming via a MCPS.
While a MCPS may provide a user with an increasing variety of media content choices, users of such systems still experience media content in substantially the same passive manner as they have done before, with social interaction limited to conversations among those physically present in the same room.